Chicken Souvlaki and Greek Salad

Tender marinated chicken strips nestled in warm, soft skillet flatbreads with Greek dressing and feta tzatziki sauce. Paired with a Greek salad this is a recreation of one of my family’s favorite Greek diner meals, part of my dinner party menu sponsored by McCormick Gourmet.

When I think dinner party I think themes like Mexican, Italian or in this case Greek. I also think “simple” after a Mexican dinner party where I made 3x too much food. I used McCormick’s line of Gourmet spices, herbs and herb blends but included alternatives in case you don’t have them on hand.

The dinner began with a Greek Salad bar where guests could help themselves. I laid out trays of sun-dried and fresh tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, sliced red onion and romaine hearts. I made a lemon and herb enriched dressing using McCormick’s Tuscan Seasoning (a blend of spices including marjoram, rosemary, thyme, basil, red pepper, onion, sun-dried tomato and red bell pepper).

For the souvlaki, strips of chicken are marinated in a lemon and olive oil marinade with more of the Tuscan Seasoning, dijon and garlic making them super tender with flavor that explodes in your mouth. You have the option of skewering them and grilling them on an outdoor grill or cooking them stovetop (sans the skewers) in a grill pan.

My tzatziki sauce is a little different from the norm. I start with sour cream instead of Greek yogurt and I add feta cheese. With little cubes of crunchy cucumber, lemon, garlic and a ton of sweet dillweed it is entirely addicting. I recommend doubling the recipe. You will want to dip everything you can get your hands on into it including the warm flatbreads straight off the griddle.

The night before or the morning of: trim visible fat off the chicken and cut crosswise into 1” wide strips. Season generously with salt and pepper. In a large glass or stainless steel bowl whisk all the marinade ingredients together, season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss well. Cover and store in refrigerator overnight.

You can skewer the chicken and grill it on an outdoor grill or use a grill pan stove top. If using wooden skewers soak in water for a half hour or so before grilling. Skewer each piece twice lengthwise. Grill on all sides until cooked through.

Stir together yeast and 1 + 1/3 cups water heated to 115° in a small bowl and let sit until foamy - about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile whisk flour, sugar, salt and spices together in a large bowl. Add the yeast and oil stirring until a dough forms.Transfer to a floured work surface and knead until smooth 6–8 minutes. Cover lightly all over with flour; transfer to a large, lightly floured bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Gently punch down dough and divide into 8 equal pieces, knead each into a ball. Place balls on a floured surface and cover with plastic wrap, allow to sit for 30 minutes.

Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Working with 1 ball of dough at a time, transfer to a flat, lightly floured work surface and roll into a 6-7 inch circle. Brush with oil and add to skillet, oiled side down, brush top with oil. Cook, turning once, until browned and cooked through, 2–3 minutes.

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